William g



WILLAM G. WAHI), F EDGEWATER, NEW YORK.

Letters .Patent No. 99,504, dated February l, 187.0.

BJXPRQVEMBNT IN BRIEECH-LOADING FIE-IARMS.

'.iheY Schoul iexe to'izfth-ese feuern Pal-ent and making part of thesangle To all whom 'ii may concern Y Be it known that I, Winmx G. WARD,of .the village of Edgewater, in the county of Richmond, :md State ofNew York, have invented a nen and useful Improvement in Breach-LendingFire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, sufficient to enable those si; 1 ed inthe art to whib my invention appertains, to make and use the suine.

Thisinvention relates to certain imprm'ernents on those for whiehLetters atent were granted to Bethel Burton, on the 11th day of August,1868, (reissued November 2, 1869,) and the 29th day June, 1869, and toniyseif, on the 29th day of Jnue,`1869, and the 31st day of August,1869; and

It consists in- First, withdrawing the hammer and firing-pin fromContact with the cartridge, during the opening and closing of thehreech, by ineens of a' cemfrouve on the rear parte? *ne hummer,operated by a stud-or projection on the inside of die breeelifpin, inelinmmer and ihjing-pin being prevented from rotating by menus oi' agroeve on the npindle, engaging with a stud or projection on the insideef the steady-pin. v

Second, withdrawing the hammer and firing-pin from contact with the@nrt-ridge dni-ing the opening and closing of the breech, by ineens oi'e, cam on the spindie, operating on :in inclined surface on the innerend of 'the steady-pin, the hammer being guided by n, projectionfit-ting in the longitudinal slot inthe breech pin, and cruised torotate with the breech-pin.

Third, eject-ing the cnrlridgesheih by menus of :i pin working in :inopening in the recoil-block, below .the tiring-pin, and operated bycoming in Contact with the trigger-holt, er other projection in thebreechpiece, when the breech-yin is drawn back.

Fuurth,centring the cnitiidge,by ineens of n. spring and ping, in' thelmiom of the breech-piece.

Fifth, preventing the withdrawal of the trigger-bolt, by means of a.double-armed trigger, with :i Safety-bolt attached to the rear end.

1n the accompanying drawings, in sheet 1 Figure l is n longitudinalvertical section of one form of mylnrention. i

Figure 2 is n rnnsverse section, taken in the iine 1 1, ng. i.

llignre 3 is n bottom View of the slide or cover, recoil-bleek, andsteady-pin, showingf the stud or projection on the inside oi' thesteady-pinfmid the pin for ejecng the carridge-sheii.

Figure fi is n view of the front end of the slide or cover, endrecoilblock. Y

Figure 5 in e top View of the hummer and tiring-pin.

Figure n' ie a ransverse eeciion, teken in the -ine Figure .7 is nbottom viewof the hammer and firingpin.

Figure S is a transverse section, taken in the line 3 3, iin. 7

Figure J is u. view of the spring and plug, for een v Figure 14 isn topview uf the breech-pin or receiver.

Figure 15 is a. bot-tom view nf the sanne. Figure lis n bottom viewni'the breech-pin.

lfigure 17 is n side elevation nt' the slide or cover,

recoil-block, Vand erezulyisin.

' Figureii e betteln View ofthe sanne..

Figures lili and 2G nre views ut' opposite sides of the firing-pin. y

Figure 2l is n front View ui' the same. Oi: the rea-r part et' thehammer G is :i emu, ;rooi.'e, g, running iin-werd longitudinally fornearly the entire. length of theinrge portion; then turning :it :iright' angle, and running transversely for about one-third ofthe-circumference; then turning again nt :i right angie, and 'runningbackward longitudinally for about tn'uthirds of the lengt-h of sii-idlarge portion; then turning :it un obtuse angle, nud termina-ting in thelongest longitudinal portion. (See figs. 2, 7, :1nd 8.)

0n the inside oi' the breech-pin F, is n stud or projection, f, (seeiig, 2,) which engages with the cnn groove g.-

On the inside olf the steady-pin E, is :i stud or gorejection, e, whichengages with n. longitudinal gro-we, g", on the spindle.

The hmrnner and iring'pin G is inserted in pince in he steady-pin E,when the stud e enfnig'es with the groove g, and prevents any rot-ationof the firing-pin.

The spiral spring His then placed in position, :and the rear end of thehumilier inserted in the breech-pin, when the stud j*3 engages with therear end nf the longitudinal portion of the groove gi.

As the lever f is turned to the left, to couple the breech-pin and t-heslide or cover C, the stud f3 engages with the inclined or obtuse-angledport-ion of' the groove gi, and drnws buck the hummer Gby which :nennethe front end of the firing-pin is prevented from protruding beyond thefrout'of the recoil-block l).

As the breech-pin is moved forward, toforee home the cnrtridge endelosethe breech, the trigger-bolt M @niches shoulder g, compressingt-'ne spring H, and

- verse motion of that above described will withdraw the vico shown inshi-ct 1, figs. l, 3, ami 1l), vin which d holding back the hammer andtiring-pin G, in the same manner as in my formerpateuts, and those ofBurton, hereinbcfore referred to, the stud f working in the shortestlongitudinal portion of the groove g'l until it reaches the transverseportion of said groove, when the leverf is turnedY down to the right toloclt the breech-pin, which motion brings the stud f u opposite thelongest longitudinal portion of the groove g, so that when thetrigger-bolt is drawn down, and the hammer and firing-pin released, itisfree to move for# ward and explode the cartridge. 1f it is desired towithdraw the cartridge without exploding it, the refiring-pin, andpreventit from coming iii Contact with the cartridge.

Another' mode of withdrawing the tiring-pin is shown in sheet 2 of thedrawings. On the under side of the large portion ot the hammer G, is aprojection, g, which slidesl in the longitudinal slot L of the breechpinI", and causes the hammer and firing-pin to rotate with the breech-pin.

About midway, of the spindle, on the side opposite the projection g, isa cam, Y. The rear end of the steady-piu E is bcvelled or inclined at anangle opposite to that of the cam Y. s the leverfis turned to the lcit,to couple the breech-pin and the slide or covcr, the cam Y comes incontact with the bevelled rear end oi" the steady-pin E, and by thepressure of the spring H, the tiring-pin is drawn back and preventedfrom protruding beyond the front of the recoilblock'.

As the breech-pin is moved Aforward, olosingthe breech, the hammer andtiring-pin is held back by the trigger-bolt, as'bci'ore-described, andwhen the triggcnbolt is, withdrawn, the tiring-pin is released andallowed to more tia-ward and explode the cartridge.

It' it is desired to withdraw the cartridge without vi':.\'plodin.15 it,the reverse motion of the lever and breech-pin will again withdraw thefiring-pin, and prcvcnt it from coming in contact with thc cartridge.

For ejccting the cartridge-shell from the breechpieee or rcccivcr,instead ot' using the iiringpin, as in the patents hcreinia-ibrcreferred to, I employ the dereprcsents a. pin, the. shank of which worksfreely in a holo in the recoil-block 1 below the centre.

'lhe head ot' this pin is scmi-cylimlrical in shape, and when in placeforms a continuationofthe periplv ery ofthe steady-pin E, and by workingbetween two shoulders, prevents. displacement of the pin. As thebreech-pin is moved forward to force homel the cartridge and close the.breech, thepin d is pushed back, so as not to protrude beyond therecoil-blmk. ,As the breech-pin is -drawn back, the extractor-hookNwitlplrawing the shell, thc trigger-bolt, or other snitablc projectionon the bottom ofthe breech-picco, threes tho pin d tirward, the frontend striking the bead of the shell, below thc centre, tilting it up, andrejecting it li-om the chamber of the lu'ccch-piece or receiver.

Another inode of ejcctiug theshcll is shown in sheet 2, iigs. 13, 14,l5, i7, and 1S.

To ihc nndcr .si-lc ot thc hrccch-piecc ll is attnchcd one cndoi` a ilatspring,r, on the free end of which is a sind, which projects up througha hole iu the bottoni ofthe brccrh-pim'c. 'lhel stud V is triangular inshape; the botioi'n and thc front edge form a rightanglc, andthc roar "dc is inclined. v

Un the under sidc oi' thil rccoil-blm'k l) is an iuclined groove, rl.(Soc. ligs. i7 and iti.) As the brccclnpiu is moxcd iiirwurd, thcinclined groovll d* passcs over the sind Y, pri-swing it down, andallowinf.: thc breech-pin lo nime freely.

Wbt-n the breech-pin is drawn bai-lt, thc extractor hook N uilhdrawingthe shell, as soon as the front ofthe recoil-block D clears the stud V,the spring vf forces the stud V up through the hole in the bottom ofthebreech-piece, the front edge striking the head A device for centi-ingorguiding the cartridge when l placed in the breech-piece or receiver, isshown in sheet 2, figs. 11, 13, 14, and 15, consisting of a. dat spring,T, one end of which is attached to the under side ot' the breecli-piece,and the other end is curved upward and passes through an opening in thebottom of the breech-piecc. When a cartridge is placed in thebreeclrpiece, the upper end of the spring T raises it, so as to guidethe front end into the barrel.

I am aware that this form is notnew, and therefore I do not claimbroadlya spriugeentring device.-

I am also aware that when made in this form, the

opening in the bottom of the breech-piece is neces# sarily largertbzinthe portion of the spring which t pin is lnoved-forwanl, and is forcedupward by theV spring T, when thcln'eech-pin is drawn back.

'lhc plug t is formed with a. head corresponding with a shoulder intheoritice, in the bottom of the breech-piece, and the entire plug fitsthe orifice, so as to form a tight joint. It also acts as a valve, asany l escape of gas and smoke into the b'rcecli-pieee will have atendency to force thc plug downward, until the bead rests against theshoulder in the orifice, in the bottom ofthe breech-piece, and thuscflctualiyclose' the orifice, and prevent thc possibility of cloggingbj" gas nml smoke.

ln sbect .3 of the drawings, the L-shaped slot in the breech-pin isrepresented as formed without the longitudinal rib, and thc lip or camdescribed in my.

former patents, and those of Bin-ton atbresaid; and thetiiggcr-imlt )lis iiarmcd without the hooks ou thc upper cud.

The trigger 0 is formed with a double arm, Q, to the rear end of whichis pivotcd a. bolt, M', which extends vertically upward.

A portion ofthe collar at the rear end of the breechpin is cnt away,leaving a projecting portion eqnai tu about ouc-lmlt'tliccircumference., as shown in iig, 12;

This projecting portion serves in lieu ofthe stops, shown and describedin my patent of August 31, 1869, aforesaid; i

Near the upper end of the project/ing portion is a, hole, m',` largeenough to admit the-end of the bolt M'.

When the lover f is turned down to the right, to lock the piece, theupper end'of the bolt M' bears against the projecting portion ot' the`collar, and is Vprevented from rising until the piece is securelylocked, when it is free to enter the' hole m', and allow the.trigger-bolt M to be withdrawn. llaving thus described nrv invention;

What l clnhn as new, and desire to scc-uro by Letters latent, is-

l. lho hammer aml firing-pin G, provided with thc groove. y, amlcam-groove y", in combination with the steady-pin l'l, :ind brccchpln F,provided respectively with the sinds c amlj, when constructed andoperating as shown and described.

L. llnhammer and tiring-pin G, provided with ilu. projection y, and cami', ii combination with

